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Allergies Vs. Colds in Children

It can be hard to determine whether your child has a common cold or allergies. Learning basic symptoms of both allergies and colds will help you decide what your child suffers from and prevent unnecessary doctors visits.

  1. Allergy Symptoms

    • Allergies in children can be common in the spring, late summer and fall. Allergies usually cause a runny nose with clear nasal discharge. It also might cause a scratchy and itchy throat, but a not painful sore throat. Allergies tend to cause red, itchy and watery eyes. Prolonged spells of sneezing also might occur. Allergies and colds both can cause a cough that get worse at night, but a cough because of allergies tends to last longer.

    Cold Symptoms

    • The cold virus (rhinovirus) tends to flare up in the winter and can last up to two weeks. If your child has a fever, they probably have a cold. The virus causes a runny and/or congested nose with white, yellow and green mucous. Colds can cause a painful sore throat in contrast to a scratchy or itchy throat caused by allergies. Your child's lymph nodes might swell, and they might be more tired and listless. The rhinovirus causes random sneezing. Coughing might develop and get worse at night, but it should not last as long as a cough because of allergies. Children with a cold might vomit mucous after a coughing spell.

      Consideration

      According to CommonCold.org, younger children cannot practice good personal hygiene, such as hand washing. Sinus and ear drainage passages and bronchial tubes are small and easily obstructed by mucus. These factors make children susceptible to colds.

    Allergy Treatments

    • Allergies in children are often treated with over-the-counter antihistamines and allergy medications. For persistent and severe allergies, your pediatrician might prescribe prescription strength antihistamines and allergy medications and/or recommend a visit to an allergist for testing. Allergy shots might be recommended for children suffering from severe allergies.

    Cold Treatments

    • Over-the-counter cold and cough medications can be used to treat children with colds. Ibuprofen and acetaminophen can treat low-grade fevers and body aches. Contact your pediatrician for aggressive cold symptoms that do not seem to be getting better after five to seven days as colds that last more than seven to 10 days can develop into ear, sinus and chest infections. Your pediatrician might prescribe stronger decongestants, cough medications, expectorants and possible antibiotics to prevent possible ear, sinus and/or chest infections.

    Prevention/Solution

    • Preventing allergies can be tricky, but keeping children away from environments, people and animals that trigger reactions would be the best prevention method. To prevent colds, frequent hand washing helps prevent passing the virus. Limit exposure to people with colds.

    Considerations

    • If your child is younger than 2, they most likely have a cold, not allergies. Allergies usually do not surface until after the age of 2. Allergies are not contagious and can develop rapidly when children are exposed to allergens. Colds are extremely contagious and are easily passed from direct and indirect contact with infected people and objects.

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